In pursuit of the perfect pizza

I've been thinking about what can make a better pizza. Can I improve the crust? What about toppings? Pizza has a long history, longer than many people realize. The first pizzas were most likely made in prehistoric times with bread cooked on hot, flat stones. According to the Smithsonian, around 1000 years ago, herb- and spice-covered circles of baked dough, known as focaccia. This bread became popular around the Naples area of Italy. After focaccia, the Italians took the next step toward modern-day pizza, “Casa de nanza” or “take out before.” Housewives would pound out dough into a thin crust and place leftovers on to bake all day in the hot sun.

Though pizza was originally created as a peasant food and designed to be eaten without utensils, modern-day pizza was created for a queen. In 1889, Don Raffaele Esposito of Naples, Italy was asked to prepare a dish for Queen Margherita Teresa Giovanni while she was visiting Naples. Esposito's pizza featured tomatoes, mozzarella cheese (a never-before-used ingredient made from the milk of the water buffalo) and basil. Then it was topped with red, white and green for the Italian flag. The first modern-day pizza was titled the Margherita pizza after the guest of honor.

Anyway, I'm sure we've all seen the shelf-stable prepared crusts at the local megamart. I've tried some and found them far too chewy. They do have their place, but I'm more of a crispy-crunchy pizza crust guy. There are many good crust recipes out there, but I have figured that most people aren't necessarily interested in taking the time to make a good crust.

Frozen pizzas have always been a bit too sparse with the toppings for me. Go to any of your favorite local pizza joints. Those pizzas are fairly heaped with toppings, in comparison. Admittedly, I've bought a frozen pizza or two, as the convenience is too great to pass up, but I always doctor the toppings. I'm not interested in getting a package of pre-sliced pepperoni and a bag of shredded cheese. I'll use a good-quality meat that I have to slice thinly myself, and then add a quality cheese, like a fresh mozzarella, or Parmigiano-Reggiano that I shred myself. It all depends on the pizza. I've added a fresh pesto topping to a garlic and chicken pie.

If you do add extra toppings to a frozen pizza, you might have to adjust the baking time in your oven. The time on the box takes into account the sparse toppings on the pie, and not what you just added. Depending on the type of crust, you might have to lower the temperature about 25 degrees for the rising crust pies, to make sure the new toppings get heated through properly, without completely burning the crust, as it will take longer to fully cook.

So you really don't want to make a crust? There are a lot of ready-to-use, in some fashion, crusts out there. Some of those are in a dough stage, some are par-baked. Why not try using a pita? Or flatbread? I recall once when I was a kid using refrigerated biscuit dough smashed flat into a pan as the crust. I've mentioned before using a loaf of French bread split in half, then coated with a garlic butter and sauce, then the desired toppings. I've seen this particular item recently already made up at one of the local megamarts. You could split a croissant and lightly top it as desired.

PIZZA CRUST

• 4 cups (about 20 ounces) bread flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons yeast
• 13 ounces water

Combine flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl and stir together well. Add water and mix into flour using your hands until no dry spots remain in bowl. Cover tightly and allow to rise at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours. Place dough onto lightly floured surface and divide into four even pieces. Gently roll each into a ball. Place each in a separate zip-top bag and place in refrigerator. Allow to rise 2 to 3 days. To use the dough, remove from refrigerator, shape into a ball, and allow come to room temperature for at least 2 hours before rolling out and topping as desired.

RED SAUCE

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 (1 pound) cans tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (8 ounces) can tomato Sauce
• 1 (12 ounces) can tomato Paste
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large pot, heat the butter then add the onions. Sauté until lightly brown. Then add garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and beef broth. Cover and barely simmer for one hour. Adjust seasonings with fresh parsley, brown sugar, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper.

WHITE SAUCE

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• Salt to taste
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1 egg yolk

Melt butter or margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add heavy cream, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, nutmeg, and cheese. Stir constantly until melted, then mix in egg yolk. Simmer over medium low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before using.

SLICED BAGUETTE PIZZA SLICES

• 1 baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• White sauce
• Fresh pesto
• Shredded cooked chicken
• Shredded mozzarella

Preheat broiler. Arrange bread in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Broil until lightly toasted on one side. Flip over and lightly toast other side. Dab on a bit of white sauce and then pesto per slice. Top with chicken and mozzarella. Place bread under the broiler until they begin to bubble and turn golden. Let cool slightly before serving.

RAMEN NOODLE CRUST PIZZA

• 4 packages of ramen noodles, cooked
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 1/2 cups of red sauce
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Mixture of chopped bell peppers, broccoli, olives

Preheat oven to broil. Cook noodles and drain as directed on package. Heat oil in large cast iron saucepan and place in all the noodles; smash down to form a pizza shape. Spread the sauce on and sprinkle the cheese and then vegetables. Broil for about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting into triangular shapes.

Other pizza topping ideas could include:

• Margherita – Top each with thinly sliced roma tomatoes, dried oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil; bake until golden. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella, torn basil and salt. Bake until the cheese melts, then drizzle with olive oil.
• Pineapple – Top with some red sauce, shredded mozzarella, diced pineapple, Canadian bacon and red pepper flakes; bake until golden.
• Artichoke – Brush crust with olive oil. Top with 1 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and marinated artichoke hearts. Sprinkle with thyme; bake until golden.
• Barbecue chicken – Top with cooked chicken, drizzle with barbecue sauce, add diced green onion and shredded cheddar. Bake until golden.
• Sicilian – Lightly top crust with some red sauce and 2 cups shredded mozzarella, drizzle with olive oil and bake.
• Meatball – Drizzle with olive oil, some red sauce and sliced fresh mozzarella. Bake until just crisp, then top with sliced cooked meatballs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, basil and olive oil and bake until browned.